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From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description
Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas writes a letter to his parents on March 25, 1855, discussing controversy over the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Society. Some consider it “a curse to the territory,” Fitch says, but he disagrees and claims it merely “has not done as much good as I wish it had.” He informs his parents, who live in Massachusetts, that he has turned his school into a boardinghouse to accommodate an influx of emigrants. He also mentions the upcoming state legislative election in Kansas and expresses concern that the pro-slavery ticket will win.
Object Type
Letter
Date
March 25, 1855
From James Griffing to Unknown
Title
From James Griffing to Unknown
Description
This letter, dated January 10, 1854 but presumably written January 10, 1855, was sent by James Griffing in Wyandotte County, Kansas to an unknown recipient. James discusses pioneer life in Kansas Territory, claiming that it is not at all dangerous: “Our society is mostly all from the East, and you feel just as much composed as when in New England.” Although James believes Missourians are more dangerous than the American Indians, he insists “there is no more reason for a person who attends to his own business to be afraid here” than anywhere else.
Date
January 10, 1855
From Julia Mariata to Unknown
Title
From Julia Mariata to Unknown
Description
In this October 5, 1856 letter, Julia Mariata describes the arrest and capture of her brother-in-law, H. Miles Moore. On October 2, Mariata says, she and Moore left Lawrence, Kansas and stopped at the American Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, where Moore was arrested and taken away by a group of men. A Mr. King told Mariata that Moore was arrested because he had served as Adjutant General under Gen. Lane, and that “he was considered guilty of High Treason!”
Date
October 5, 1856
From Josiah Miller to Dear Father and Mother
Title
From Josiah Miller to Dear Father and Mother
Description
This letter, dated January 25, 1856, is from Josiah Miller in Lawrence, Kansas to his parents living in a Southern state. Miller tells his parents about a recent election for Kansas state officers that ended in a skirmish between Free State men and proslavery men, including some from Missouri. He predicts that "this slavery question" will result in civil war, and urges his parents to move to a free state.
Object Type
Letter
Date
January 25, 1856
From Daniel R. Anthony to Father
Title
From Daniel R. Anthony to Father
Description
This letter, dated June 10, 1857, was written by Daniel R. Anthony in Leavenworth, Kansas, to his father. Anthony has just arrived in Leavenworth, calling it “the most enterprising city in all Kansas.” Anthony states that land prices are very high but will likely decline during the winter until emigration begins again in the spring. He predicts that insurance will be a "good business" in Leavenworth and discusses various investment options. Anthony reports that he saw Gov. Harney, Sheriff Jones, and Judge Lecompte, who is presiding over the murder trial of Charles Fugett.
Date
June 10, 1857
From Edward Fitch to Dear Father
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Father
Description
In a May 26, 1856 letter to his father in Massachusetts, Edward Fitch describes the Sack of Lawrence that had occurred six days earlier on May 21, 1856. He mentions that Governor Shannon has called for protection “for fear we should rise up and exterminate him and the Pro-Slavery party.” He expresses his own fear that the Free State Party will be defeated and that Kansas will become a slave state. He also fears for his personal safety, saying he "shall not dare to stay at my cabin without a rifle or gun at my bedside." He adds that he hopes John C. Fremont will win the upcoming presidential election.
Date
May 26, 1856
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description
On September 8, 1855, Edward Fitch writes a letter from Lawrence, Kansas to his parents in Massachusetts, reporting that Governor Andrew Reeder was nominated for Congress at the recent convention in Big Springs, Kansas. He also informs his parents of his efforts to protect a free black man against a group of pro-slavery men who wanted to capture and enslave him. If they hadn’t eventually backed down, Fitch says, “we should have pitched in to them with our rifles.”
Date
September 8, 1855